Hiking for Prospect

The day finally arrived; we put on our glittery face paints in the union jack colours, donned our official Prospect Hospice T-Shirts and hiking boots and arrived at the Marlbourgh 15 Starlight walk. We arrived all glammed up, Ruth in daps and we see people with head torches, walking sticks and high ves jackets. So we unprepared for the event and looked a bit strange in our union jack wear. Even stranger when a film crew arrived to film why we were doing the walk, then having the battle of photographers to take silly pictures of us walking and the like. We either looked like we could be famous or just primadonna wannabes…. Either way we were there to raise a lot of money for a great cause. We lit a candle in memory of an amazing women, Tami Brown and also for myself my uncle and family friends who had been treated at the Prospect.  We did the warm-up (well I think I just did my own thing) then the horn blow and off we went!

Into pitch black. Torches would have been pretty handy! Half an hour in Ela has gained huge blisters from her fairly new boots and has to call around for plasters. Then Georgia steps in horse poo, quote “It’s so swishy” whilst trying not to trip over the rocky grounds. I’m reciting the words of “The Gruffulo” to a clearly bemused bunch of girls showing I read that book to the children at work way too much! Then about a couple of hours the biggest scream ever comes from Ruth. We all turn round thinking she’s on the ground in pain tripping over the huge potholes on the ground. No she’s stepped an ankle deep mud that we are all slushing away in, and she has daps. Had to be one of the funniest you had to be there moments of the hike. The hills were never ending, we were being overlooked by cows on the hugest hill that just would not stop and I bet they were thinking, “Who are these weirdoes with shiny crowns, I think they are a bit lost!” but we prevailed!! We livened up the trip with busting out some glee show tunes and some great dancing on the way! We made it across the finish line in 3 and half hours, Ela hobbling along bless her cottons. We got a cute medal and certificate to prove that we actually did take part and not just pose for photos and leave! The girls all got bacon buttys as an extra reward whilst I had a roll (darn being a veggie at this point) and all sat down and crashed. The next day was awful! I couldn’t move, shins ached and finding blisters on my feet was not a highlight! But the pain was worth it, we raised over £100 in a short time for Prospect and I am so glad that the money will make a PERFECT difference to the end of terminally ill patients. Remember that it isn’t always about you, pain is only temporary after these events but the pain of losing a loved one is even worse to wear and to make sure that loved one leads a comfortable life towards the end, makes it all worthwhile. I would do it ten times over again, just maybe a bit of a rest first!!